"A guilty man set free on the account of another, is that justice? No that’s grace" Caleb & Sol

20 June 2016

THE MORTIFICATION OF SIN

Gal
5:24-35; 6:1-6

John Owen wrote an amazing
book called“The Mortification of Sin” which is
where I took my title from for this message. It’s a wonderful book that talks
about the dangers of sin and how we are to avoid such acts of the flesh. He
got the title for his book by preaching a number of messages on Romans 8:13
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put
to death(mortify)the deeds of the body, you will live.” Why? Sin is a deadly and it kills
and John Owen said in his book “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” As
we’ve seen over the past few weeks that the flesh is at war with the Spirit
that indwells in us. (v17). We need to be alert to the
dangers of sin. Why? Sin is deceitful “but exhort one another
daily, while it is called "TODAY," lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin.” Heb 3:13. Sin is dehumanizing……sin dismantles
relationships and corrupts the human soul. The less we bear the image of God
due to the presence of sin, the less human we really are. Sin is damning…..the greatest threat to the
soul is sin. Sin threatens the eternal soul of the unsaved. Sin leads to death
and judgement and eternal punishment in Hell.

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me
to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two
hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where 'THEIR
WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.'”And if your foot causes
you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than
having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be
quenched— where 'THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.' And if
your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the
kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell
fire— where 'THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.' Mark
9:42-48

Hell
is a final destination and it involves both pain and eternal punishment. That’s
how severe sin is in the life of a person. But we sometimes we tend to treat it
like it’s no big deal……. because I’m under the blanket of Grace. But
we need to be careful with that kind of thinking! It’s contradictory and
deceiving according to God’s word. For example: A
man named Cory Byrne, 34 years old, died in 2010, at a local hospital after
being strangled by his 9-foot, 25-pound pet boa constrictor. Byrne had been
showing the snake to a friend as he had the snake draped on his shoulders. An
officer was called to Byrne's apartment around 5:40 p.m. The officer found
Byrne on the ground with the snake still around his neck. Paramedics soon
arrived and helped get the snake off Byrne and into a cage. The Nebraska Humane
Society in Omaha has taken custody of the male red-tailed boa constrictor. Spokesman Mark Langan said “The snake appears to have been well-fed, added
he did not know what might have led the snake to strangle its owner. “The sad
reality is, whether it’s a dog or a cat or snake, no matter how much you trust
an animal, they react unpredictably in certain situations," Langan said.
"Once a snake clamps down like that, they're extremely strong. It would
have been very difficult for one person to remove that snake."

See,
some animals cannot be tamed. You might call a snake your pet and give it a
cute name, but it doesn’t take the wild out of it. It much the same with sin. You may cuddle sin like a
pet, but it doesn’t take the wild out if it or make it less dangerous. Sin
and evil cannot be domesticated, sin poises to attack your faith at all cost. “the
flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” Gal 5:17

This is where we need to take
sin seriously! Not
only privately in the closet of our own hearts, but corporately as well, we
fight this battle together. We
are God’s children who He purchased with His Son’s blood and death on the
cross. And
if we are His children we have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. (v24-v26). Why? Sin is a deadly killer and
it will not stop until it has consumed whatever it attaches itself to. And our responsibility is to
one another….keeping each other accountable for how we live our Christian lives
and to be aware of the sin that lurks around the corner when we least expect
it. Why do I say that? Look how Paul starts chapter
6 for us. “Brothers” fellow Christians, God’s
elect, God’s adopted children, please listen to what I’m about to saying to you! “Brethren,
if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritualrestore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be
tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if
anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself
alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is
taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.”

Gal
6:1-6.

Paul
gives us 3
thingswe are to do to help those
fallen in sin. Three
things that “those
who are spiritual”are to do to help
the fallen brother or sister in Christ. “those who are
spiritual” are
those who are walking in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit and are
demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit. They
are seasoned and spiritually strong (not perfect and exempt from sin)
but demonstrate a virtuous lifestyle towards the Lord. God
has places this responsibility on us, the ones who are stronger to come
alongside the weaker brother or sister and help them. So
the first thing Paul tells us to do “those who are spiritual”is……

Pick Him Up (v1)

When
a person stumbles, his first greatest need to is to get up, and often they need
assistance to do that. By
doing this you’re helping that brother or sister get back on their feet
spiritually and morally. “Even
if a man is caught in any trespass” they deserve help…you deserve help! “caught in any
trespass”is
the idea that they are guilty without a shadow of doubt. And as the KJV renders this
passage“overtaken in a
fault”helps us to understand that this is not premeditated, but
rather he or she fails to guard or perhaps flirt with temptation thinking they
can withstand whatever is before them. It’s
that idea seeing how close you can get to the edge before falling off. There’s
a story about a group of coach drivers applying for a job. One of them would be
chosen to carry the king’s children up and down a narrow, winding road leading
up to the king’s mountain-top castle. With dozens of steep drop-offs and no
guardrails, it was a daunting assignment. The king’s chief liveryman asked each
candidate this question: HOW CLOSE CAN YOU GET TO THE EDGE WITHOUT GOING OVER?
The applicants offered various responses indicating their confidence in skill!
One man boasted he could drive the horses at nearly full speed for the entire
length of the road, always keeping within 6 inches from the edge. The
interviewer was unimpressed. Finally, one driver stepped forward and responded,
“Sir, if it’s the king’s children, I want to stay as far from the edge as I
possibly can.” This man was hired for the job....

This
should be our answer when we are faced with a decision that will affect our
walk with a holy a merciful God! Shouldn’t it? This
would be what “those
who are spiritual”would do and that
is why we are to help those who have fallen or become careless in their
spiritual walk. Because! When a person is fallen or
caught in sin…..they have a tendency to lose confidence, their inner joy, peace
and all the other fruits of the Spirit. They
tend to doubt the grace that has already been given to them and doubt the truth
of God’s promises and His word. Sin
in the life of a believer tends to weaken their anticipation of Christ’s
return. Their
sin has caused them to shrink back and be less anxious to see Jesus. As John wrote “And now, little children,
abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink
from him in shame at his coming” 1 John 2:28. We
who are more spiritual are to come alongside them and help by not say “I told
you so” and then proceed to walk away. We
are to be sensitive towards someone’s sin and deal with it with gentleness as
whenever and wherever it may appear in the body of Christ. (v1) Prime example for us to
follow! “The
scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and
placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught
in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some
charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the
ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them,
"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.
“And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it,
they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left
alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No
one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from
now on sin no more." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life." John 8:3-12. A
spiritual brother seeks to restore a sinning brother, by first helping up out
of the mud of his sin with Christ-like gentleness.

Hold Him Up (v2-v5)

Once
you’ve helped by picking up a brother in sins and trespasses we are to help
hold them up. It’s
not enough to simply help them turn from sin and leave them alone. Usually
a person like this who has victory over that sin for season …Satan usually
turns around and attacks harder and faster. Paul
said “we are to bear one another’s
burdens” “Bear and burden”are the key words…. ”Bear”refers
to endure or endurance as in a race to the finish line. “Burdens”is the load one carries and
sometimes those loads are more than we handle. We think we can handle them, but
in reality we can’t. A
persistent and opposing temptation is one of the heaviest burdens a Christian
can have. This
is where “those
who are spiritual”come into play. We
endure with them as they fight the battle of the flesh. As James said “Therefore, confess your
sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16. Peter said “Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be
sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:6-8

We
are to stand with our fallen brother and hold him up as we fight this battle
together. When
we do this we are “fulfilling the law of
Christ”(v2). What is that Law? Jesus said “A new commandment I give to
you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love
one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another." John 13:34-35. Even
Paul elaborated on this in his letter “For
the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." Gal 5:14. The question for you and me
is…. Wouldn’t
you want someone come alongside you as you battle a certain sin that tears at
your soul and your relationship with Christ? Don’t
you desire restoration as opposed to separation? If not,
maybe you need ask yourself!
Do you love your sin more than Christ? Does your sin bother you at all? There
is one thing to fall into sin, but another to premeditate it and love it. It’s
the idea I know it’s wrong but He’ll forgive me later. That is a very dangerous
place to live and assume everything is ok. Why?
Hell is knocking at your door and he wants to take up residence in your heart.

Build Him Up (v6)

Not
only are you pick him up, hold him up, but we are to build him up through sharing
and the precious word of God. “share”has the idea of sharing
equally. This is commonly translated “fellowship”it’s a
mutual arrangement…not one person serving or providing, but both parties
sharing together. Keeping
one another accountable in the fellowship of the family of God. What are we to share?“All good things” this primarily
means spiritual and moral excellence. A way to do that is founded
in Phil 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What
you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.”

It
is our goal and desires to see those around us strive for holiness and
godliness under the Spirits leading and directing. Kevin DeYoung said “The biggest threat to the
church in any generation is not the government, not some other religion, nor
enemies of the faith. It's us with our own waywardness, our own wandering, our
own hard heartedness, and our own love affair with sin.” Sin is a lot like leprosy…..because Leprosy affects
the nervous system. It
gradually numbs the person’s extremities to the point at which pain is no
longer felt. One would think“having no more pain would be good.” Rightfully
so, if you were getting a tooth drilled and filled or if you were having surgery
on your broken leg. You wouldn’t want to
feel the pain. This
is where you would want the gas or a shot of Novocain. But what if that
feeling never came back ever again? It
would be very difficult to chew your food without realizing you are doing possible
damage to your mouth or tongue. Or
you had no more feeling in your leg after surgery you wouldn’t know if it’s
healed properly.

See, pain serves a purpose! Pain
tells a child not to touch a hot stove. Pain
tells a carpenter to aim skillfully with a hammer. Pain
warns and guides. And that’s the problem with Leprosy. You
loss all feelings to pain. And sin does the same thing to the Christian who is “caught or entangled”in sins and trespasses. Having
a spiritual numbness is more horrible than leprosy and I’m not minimizing how
terrible that is. We
who are “spiritual”need to help our brothers and sisters in Christ, who
can become defeated and somewhat numb to the causes of sin. We
need each other otherwise we can become numb to our own sin. NUMB! Like Raynold the 3rd, a
fourteenth-century duke.
Who was grossly overweight was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus,
which means “fat. “After a violent quarrel, Raynold’s younger brother Edward
led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured his older brother, but did
not kill him. Instead, he built a room around him in the castle and promised
him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the
room. This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had
several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred.
The problem was Raynold’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose
weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of
delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, he grew fatter. When
Duke Edward was accused of cruelty, he had a ready answer: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” He
stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died
in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year … a prisoner of his own appetite.

Did
he really help his brother?

Did
he help by picking him up?

Did
he help by holding him up?

Did
he help by building him up?

The answer is NO! We
are to pick up, hold up, and build up before it gets too late. Remove
the blinders and be Christ to one another and fulfill the Law of Christ……by
being His hands and feet to the family of God.

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"Radical obediance to Christ is not easy; it is dangerous. It is not smooth sailing aboard a luxury liner; it is sacrificial duty aboard a troop carrier. It's not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obediance to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. and He is more than enough for us." David Platt

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2 Timothy 2:8-14"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us toa holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Follow the pattern of the soundwords that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."ESV

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John MacArthur says . . . " There seems almost no limit to what modern church leaders will do to entice people who aren't interested in worship and preaching. Too many have bought the notion that the church must win people by offering an alternative form of entertainment. Just how far will the church go in competing with Hollywood? A large church in the southwestern United States has installed a half-million dollar special-effects system that can produce smoke, fire, sparks, and laser lights in the auditorium. The church sent staff members to study live special effects at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. The pastor ended one service by ascending to "heaven" via invisible wires that drew him up out of sight while the choir and orchestra added a musical accompaniment to the smoke, fire, and light show. It was just a typical Sunday show for that pastor: "He packs his church with such special effects as ... cranking up a chain saw and toppling a tree to make a point ... the biggest Fourth of July fireworks display in town and a Christmas service with a rented elephant, kangaroo and zebra. The Christmas show features 100 clowns with gifts for the congregation's children."Shenanigans like that would have been the stuff of Spurgeon's worst nightmares. And even Tozer could not have foreseen the extreme to which evangelicals would go in paying homage to the great god Entertainment. "

What does it mean to live a cross centered life?by Pastor Mike AndrewsWe as Christians know that there is only one road to take. The Bible say's "wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matt 7:13). Why is there so many people who profess Jesus Christ taking this road? (Phil 3:19) "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things". The Bible say's the wide road leads to destruction. Which means eternally separated from a HOLY and Sovereign GOD. There is ony one road for GENUINE Christian. And it's the narrow road. A life that is: 1) Self denial2) Caring your cross daily3) Desiring the things of God4) Hating the things that God hates5) Submission and obedience6) Holy living7) Expects any kind of persecution.(Mat 10:22) and you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved(1 John 3:13) Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.A.W. Tozer says "The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!" (1Pet 4:16-17) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?We must stand strong in the Gospel of Christ. Holding to His promise of eternal life.
1. A Cross Centered life never is ashamed of His Gospel, for which He suffers,
2. A Cross Centered Life is never ashamed of the name he bears (Christian)
3. Nor of the punishment he endures, but let US, as OUR Lord and Master did, endure the cross.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." John Piper"Alan Redpathhad two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in his arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!" Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?" Alan Redpath

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"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE") Gal 3:13. That's why as the great puritan once said "I preach as a dying man,to dying men. Richard Baxter...."